INSTRUCTIONS: 

Students will be participating in discussion board activities each Week based on the topic of that week’s module(s). The requirements for a discussion board activity include submitting one original posting answering all the Questions of the Week’s discussion. Then Students should review a minimum of one other Students’ posting and provide constructive feedback on either something you learned from their post, or provide feedback to enhance the discussion. Up to 7 points can be earned for posting your initial answer to the discussion questions and up to 3 points can be earned for a posted response to another Students’ post. Please see rubric for grading criteria. 

First click on the "REPLY" button below to start your initial post. You can cut and paste the Discussion Questions into your answer if that helps, or at least number your answers the same as the question numbers to provide better understanding by the reader. Second, once your initial answers are posted, you will be able to view all other students’ postings and can hit "Reply" under the Students’ post you wish to provide feedback and then hit submit to post your feedback. When providing feedback, please start by greeting/acknowledging the person by name before providing addition feedback. Discussion participation must be completed as a class on the week they are due, and Discussions are not eligible for makeup past the due date.

One of the primary goals of a discussion board activity is the progression in learning and sharing new ideas, concepts, perspectives, and opinions. Therefore, the Instructor is more interested in the writer’s ideas on the topics and not simply a "copy and paste" from the book. This is not graded like a quiz! This is a learning exercise where you will be answering questions about what you learned from the readings and sharing your ideas to the best of your ability about that week’s topics. You can then review other student’s answers and share feedback on something you learned or something to enhance their answer. I will also provide each of you individual feedback on each of your posts and award points. This is a group learning activity by design meant to promote an enhanced learning experience. 

When writing a response posting, simply agreement phrases alone (i.e., “I agree” or “I enjoyed your posting”) does not contribute sufficiently to the learning experience and earn only partial points (For example: if the post wording is something you could just cut and paste into the following week’s post).  Therefore, the response posting should also include support with something specific you learned from their post, and/or provide additional information to enhance the discussion in a positive fashion.

Discussion Questions to answer for your initial post:

1. As people become more educated and living con­ditions improve, do their product preferences become more similar? Why or why not?
2. Candy Crush Saga is a simple game with 2.73 billion downloads and more than 1 trillion rounds of the game played since its launch, but only about 16 percent of its fan base is in the United States. What elements of Candy Crush Saga do you think appeal to consumers from many different cultures? 
3. International companies often encounter performance problems with expatriation, where problems arise due to issues associated with the expatriate’s family. What advice would you provide to an IC regarding how to avoid such problems?
4. Why are expatriate employees frequently paid more than their colleagues at equivalent job levels in the home office? Do you think this premium is justified? 
5. What concerns arise as a firm purchases an increasing portion of its materials from outside firms, especially those located in foreign countries, rather than producing these materials itself? How might this threaten the long-term competitiveness of a firm, and what might a firm do in order to lessen such risks? 
6. How might global logistics practices be impacted by developments such as 3D printing technology or a sustained rise in the global price of oil?